YOUNG CHARGERS BACKS READY FOR A CHALLENGE

Michael Hayes began his collegiate football career in Texas at Blinn College.

He starred at running back, took handoffs from Cam Newton, an eventual Heisman Trophy winner and current Panthers quarterback, and won a junior college national championship.

Before the glory, he sat.

Chargers rookie running backs Hayes and Edwin Baker are sharing a medium-sized hotel room and one large mountain to climb during training camp.

They’ll attempt to make the 53-man roster — or, if they come up short, the practice squad — at a position loaded with veteran competition.

Both can lean on past experiences.

“I think I started fourth or third string,” Hayes said of his two years at Blinn before earning a transfer to Houston. “I had to move my way up from there. … I had to fight for my reps.”

Baker also fought in college.

Every day, in fact, he said, as part of a three-back system at Michigan State. He called competing “fun” and part of the game, adding he learned a lesson with the Spartans.

“Control what I can control,” Baker said. “That’s what my running backs coach told me in college: ‘Control what you can control.’ Go out there every day and put forth the effort and do your job right and limit your mistakes. Control what you can control.”

Behind starter Ryan Mathews there is expected to be two or, if someone proves indispensable on special teams, possibly three running back spots up for grabs.

Ronnie Brown, Jackie Battle, Curtis Brinkley may be higher in the pecking order for now.

Baker and Hayes, however, will have their chance to impress over the next several weeks, coach Norv Turner said.

It’s still early in the evaluation process.

“What we’ve seen from those two guys is two months of running around in jerseys and shorts,” Turner said. “They’re very athletic. They’ve been impressive. I think the real test of runners is when it’s live, when you’re tackling, when people are coming after them. They’re going to get their opportunities to do that.”

The Chargers drafted Baker, listed at 5-feet-8 and 200 pounds, in the seventh round.

At 21, he is the youngest player on the team. His most productive season came as a sophomore in 2010, taking 207 carries for 1,201 yards and 13 touchdowns.

He split carries in 2011 with sophomore Le’Veon Bell before declaring for the draft.

Hayes, at 5-9 and 200 pounds, went undrafted.

He also split carries in 2011, rushing for 727 yards on 138 carries — a 5.3 average — with 11 touchdowns. Out of the backfield, he caught 44 passes for 483 yards and another four scores.

Baker and Hayes are rookies to the NFL.

They’re veterans to competition.

Each said he shares a good relationship with the other. After practices, they’ll often sit in their hotel room and discuss the day’s mistakes, working to learn from them.

“We can talk about anything,” Hayes said. “We can talk about football or anything besides that. We really don’t have anything against each other. At the end of the day, it’s competition, but we don’t hate each other over it.”